SO,I'M A NIGHT-OWL. DOES THAT MAKE ME A
FEATHER- HEAD?

Welcome to my Garden.Here is the beauty of my world,in microcosm. It is filled with plants, flowers,animals,birds and persons who are so important to me,that all together, fill me with delight,every day.

MUSICAL TREATS-

"WHERE NO ONE STANDS ALONE "JIMMY SWAGGART: THERE IS ROOM AT THE CROSS FOR YOUDONE BY JIM RECORDS, 2006, THIS IS JIMMY'S NEWEST CD, WITH JIMMY ON THE VOCALS, AND THE PIANO, BACKED UP BY THE SILKY VOICES OF THE CRUSADE TEAM,AND FULL MUSICAL ACCOMPANYMENT, WITH JIMMY'S UNPARALLELED ARRANGEMENTS, TRULY AN OUTSTANDING TIME OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP,AND A COMFORT TO THE SOUL. (*****)

IT'S LUCKY WE METJANET PASCHAL: BILL GAITHER AND GLORIA: GOD BLESS AMERICAGAITHER GOSPEL SERIES LIVE FROM CARNEGIE HALL
WITH THEIR HOMECOMING FRIENDS-GET USED TO BEING HAPPY! (*****)

"UNBREAK MY HEART"IL DIVO: IL DIVO A NEW GROUP JUST INTRODUCED ON OPRAH AND THE TONIGHT SHOW, PUT TOGETHER BY SIMON C.
FROM AMERICAN IDOL...FOUR YOUNG MEN, ALL FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, DOING HIP SONGS IN AN OPERATIC STYLE! A MUST HAVE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE MUSIC! YUMMY! SONG IN ITALIAN, OR SPANISH, OR ONE OF THOSE ROMANCE LANGUAGES...WHATEVER IT IS, IT WORKS FOR ME! (*****)

MOONLIGHT SONATABEETHOVEN: PIANO SOLOSSERENE, RESTFUL, AND BEAUTIFUL CLASSICAL MUSIC
TRY THIS IN FRONT OF THE FIRE WITH A GOOD BOOK
AND A GLASS OF WINE. REFLECTIVE.
HAS A WAY OF CALMING KIDS DOWN. (*****)

RHAPSODY IN BLUEGEORGE GERSHWIN: FANTASIA II; DISNEY ALSO AVAILABLE JUST UNDER IT'S OWN NAME,
ON CD OR CASSETTE. SYMPHONIC JAZZ.
GEORGOUS! (*****)

WORD LOVES

T.H. WHITE: "THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING"This is THE BOOK, without which no home library of good fiction is complete! The foundation for the complete Aruthurian ledgend, upon which was based "The sword in the Stone", "Camelot",as well as "Merlin!" There is even speculation of it being an allegory of Christ.A book you will read, and re-read for years to come! It is beautiful, romantic,realistic to the times,and even screamingly funny in places! (*****)

Barbra D'amato: Of course you know that chocolate is a vegetable!Anthology of murder mysteries! Funny, clever and so well written. If you love chocolate, you will drool over the title story! (*****)

VIRGINIA WOOLF edited by Susan Dick: THE Complete Shorter Fiction Of Virginia Woolf A book that follows Virginia Woolf's art of lyrical prose developement...encounter continuous delights for the mind! Be stirred by the color and vapours of Kew Gardens,sweet, magical pictures her words will create in your mind! (*****)

WARREN MURPHY & RICHARD SAPIR: THE DESTROYER SERIES FROM #1 TO THE 64TH, (WHICH IS ONLY AS FAR AS I HAVE GOTTEN IN MY COLLECTION) THIS MARTIAL ARTS SERIES HAS GOT IT ALL.REMO WILLIAMS IS A WISE-CRACKING "DEAD" COP, AND HIS MENTOR IS THE FRAGILE LOOKING CHIUN, MASTER OF SINANJU,
TOGETHER THEY COMPRISE THE KILLING ARM OF A BRANCH OF THE US GOVERNMENT THAT DOES NOT EXIST.

NORA LAM AND RICHARD SCHNIEDER: CHINA CRY: THE NORA LAM STORYTHE TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN WHO FOUND THE COURAGE TO LOVE AND THE STRENGTH TO SURVIVE AGAINST ALL ODDS. (*****)

It used to be such an innocent thing. The one day a year when you could dress the kids up in a fun costume,and take them around the neighborhood to shout trick or treat at each door, and get a candy bar, or even a popcorn ball or a caramel apple and go home with a little bag of candy.However, over the years it has turned wicked and dangerous.First there were all sorts of things being put into the candy and other treats, so that parents had to inspect each thing before the children could eat it, for things like razor blades or even poison.This trend got so bad, so prevalent that it became routine to take the bags of candy to the hospital to be x-rayed.So now, even those of us who cannot afford to go buy wrapped candy are at a loss what to do for the children. We can't give out homemade treats like popcorn balls or caramel apples anymore, because either the children aren't allowed to accept them, or the parents will throw them out as soon as they see them. Which is understandable. No one wants children to bite into an apple or a popcorn ball, and come up with a razor blade in their mouth.Even homemade fudge is suspect, as I understand it, because some loonies have laced it, or could possibly lace it with rat poison.And it gets worse. Some "Haunted houses" have been the scene of terrible incidents, so even that scary fun is off limits in certain communities. Personally, I have never been attracted to such forms of entertainment, but whatever. But now, there is a new wrinkle, that I am horrified at, and it is the advent of decorating, inside and outside of the house, with not only pumpkins, but ghosts, and witches and whatever else, with lights and trees, and garlands, as one would for Christmas, but with a much darker, more sinister theme. Doesn't anyone think this is demeaning Christmas? I do.Although I have recently given up on the whole notion of killing a tree for Christ, I hate to see all this effort going into celebrating what is tantamount to a spiritually Anti-Christ Holiday.

Oh, by the way! The day after this was written, two different people told me of yet another horror, which would not have been allowed to continue, if this decorating for Halloween wasn't going on. A woman, despondant for whatever reason, hung herself in her own front yard, and was allowed to hang there for three days, because everyone thought she was a decoration! Think of the implications of that!!

The Long Walk was of a futuristic society,that through a lottery of sorts, amongst young teenage men, there is an extreme competition,which is the long walk.It starts out slowly, focusing on one boy, who has filled with hope for the upcoming test. His parents are encouraging and supportive, but with a tinge of worry while they take their boy to the starting line, and then can only watch helplessly from the sidelines as dozens of other boys join their son in a walk that will last until there is only one of them left standing...or walking. This walk is so long, it lasts days and days! The only breaks they had were timed, and other than that, there were armed "guards" who gave them warnings to keep moving, and if they didn't respond in time, they could be shot! They keep moving through rain, cold and hunger, through walking out of their shoes, and blisters on their feet, and all because the ultimate winner would have their every wish granted-for life- if they are lucky enough to live through this ordeal. This book is gripping! A real page turner...but don't loan it to anybody, you will never get it back, because when they finish it, they will be so stunned, and shocked by the ending, they will tell everybody about it, and before you know it, it will be making the rounds of all your friends...anyway, that's what happened to my copy!

You may have noticed in my various writings, my mention of the fact that I am not perfect...and never claimed to be.You may have further noticed that one of my categories is perfection.This is only in the sense of the perfect day, the perfect time, or whatever the case may be, but never, the totally perfect person,unless we are talking about the one who walked perfect before the Lord for 33 years, Jesus.But I reject even the intimation that I am or ever was perfect, or represented myself to be so. For proof, you only have to go back to my own dear Mother who recognized in me a tendency...Okay, a very strong tendency, towards stubbornness.I understand she saw this in me when I was about 2 years old.Now, most people with this trait are told early on that this is a bad trait.But Mother, God bless her, did not. She said only that this was part of who I was, and like any natural tendency, can be channeled and put to good use.Mom was great at saying things in just the right way, so as not to stimulate my willful, stubborn streak. She knew, that If she told me I have to do this, or I can't do that, I would lay my ears back, dig in my heels and prove you wrong! She also knew that if I thought I had to, I probably wouldn't.From the very first, My family saw to it that I got to church on Sunday, hoping that, as the twig is bent, so grows the tree, and that worked wonderfully, until I found out that the church had lied to me.Not only to me, but to everyone of my faith, for hundreds of years! Well, if I called the name of the church, everyone would know what I was talking about, but I am not going to do that.Suffice it to say, that I studied Latin for many years, just because the church had this dogma about the "service is in Latin because it never changes"...and then, they changed it! Well! That was it for me.Even though I had grown up loving the pomp and beauty of the church, that blatant lie crystallized the reality of the church for me in a way nothing else could. I became aware that part of the lie was that pomp and so forth. I was never intended by God to love the church, I was to love God.Most of my family was horrified, not only that I ceased to attend our family's church, but that I would go to other churches instead! They were doubly horrified when I came out and told them I was a born again Christian. So, there you have it. Proof positive that I am not perfect. I was not that obedient daughter or sister that agreed with whatever the family expected of me. I was the rebel. The gypsy.The black sheep of the family, that had to run out there and find a new church. The one who gave gifts, and when the person I gave it to said, Oh, you didn't have to do that! I came back with, " If I thought I had to, I probably wouldn't!"

Not only that, but I had picked the worst possible church! I picked the one whose leader was caught in sin,and came out on national television, and repented before the whole world, thereby proving the scripture, " all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Worse yet, when that happened, I refused to turn my back on him! I refused to leave that church! You know why? Because, if all have sinned,and come short of the glory of God, then there are literally hundreds of pastors and evangelists who have NOT repented...but mine did.In fact, he's the only one I do trust, because he is the only one I know for a fact did repent.He showed the whole world how it is done, just as he had preached it should be done, and when it came time for him to do it, he did it just as he had always laid it out, pulling no punches, saving himself no embarrassment nor pain. I have to admire that kind of courage of ones convictions.

Further proof, I suppose, that I am not perfect.But, like my favorite preacher, I know the one who is perfect, and he died for my sins, and has given to me forgiveness and his righteousness.And I accept that, every day.

1.Now that the hard freeze has come and gone, we have two glorious days of Indian summer to enjoy. The red and gold leaves drifting with the breeze makes even a simple meal in the warm breeze from the open front window a magical time.

2.Now that the bugs of summer have been done away with, a warm day is a delight, just sitting on the big porch, watching traffic go by, while we talk, and the sun dances on the last rose of summer.

3.Golden afternoons inspire ideas of last picnics in the park.Perhaps, if we have another week-end like this, we shall have that picnic... but for now, just the notion is fun to entertain.

I think that most of us know and accept the concept that no one is perfect. I'm not. I never claimed to be such. However, some people seem to have this idea that merely because you don't scream your imperfections from the housetops, that you are pretending to be a saint. However silly that may sound, the concept is duly noted, that if one does not bare it all, they are not telling the truth.Except, I did not sign up for that. I write what I recall to the best of my ability, as I see it, not to be unfair or pointing fingers at anyone else.Whoever feels slighted or misrepresented by my blogs should try to keep in mind that I am writing from my own life,without being privy to their thoughts or motives for their actions, should I touch on anything they said or did in the past. In point of fact, I don't ever recall mentioning what kind of wife I was...but the truth will bare me out, that I was a FAITHFUL wife, loving, kind and supportive.

Of course, the only reason I mentioned anything about anyone else, was to indicate there was a point when my son's attitude changed..and why I believed it did so.There was no malice in the story I told about his fifth birthday, but I didn't make it up, either. It was background, pure and simple, and then I went on to say that now things had changed again. Through the years, I have worked very hard to be fair, not talk certain people down to him. It appears that there have been several misunderstandings along the way, but I am not going to dredge up more from the past.I have no intention of bashing anybody.

It is a matter of supreme indifference to me how certain persons view me, or the actions they attribute to me,even when those actions were not mine. Once the relationship is over, it is over, and there is no accountability necessary. Recriminations do not win points, nor do arguments. The whole pointshould be, if you are a mother or father of a child, to focus on loving that child,and forget whatever went on before. Otherwise, one only keeps adding to that child's emotional upheaval. But, One could say, You( meaning me) brought up the bicycle incident. Yes I did.Which turned out to be cathartic for Yon son.It laid that whole thing to rest, finally, since his attitude has now changed. I've said it before, and I will say it again. I am glad Yon son and his father have reconnected now, and I sincerely hope nothing happens to change it yet again, because that would be just too sad.I go out of my way to encourage Yon son to view and answer his Dad's e-mails, but I am certainly not going to do it for him! Nobody would appreciate that.Son is a very busy guy.He works long hours, and has only one day off a week.Yet that one day, he chooses to spend running errands and in Bible study.So, when the spirit moves him, he will contact his father, I have no doubt. So enjoy your children, and love them. Life is too short to do otherwise!

Mary, first heard it spoken- so sacred, that it was introduced by angels, but she did not know in that hour, Oh, what majesty and power, was contained in your name, sweet precious Lord-- but she knew that Holy, Holy, Holy, is thy name! Holy is thy name! There's no other name,with the healing touch, there's no other name, that I love as much as Jesus, Holy is thy name--In no other name, is there, salvation, given whereby, we might be saved-so in everything that I do or say, I'll do it Lord, in your sweet name, For Holy is thy name!

Prayer is the Key to heaven, Oh, but faith unlocks the door! Words are so easily spoken, but prayer without faith, is like boat without an oar- Have faith when you speak to the Master, Oh that's all he asks you for!

Prayer is the key to heaven, Oh but faith unlocks the door ! Words are so easily spoken but prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar, have faith when you speak to my Master, Oh, that's all, that's all he asks you for, Prayer is the key to heaven, Oh but faith unlocks the door-

Okay, I haven't been very active lately, because I've been struggling with a bought of the creeping crud.You know the creeping crud, don't you? That's when you're not really sick, but just on the cusp of catching a cold maybe...or maybe not.You don't feel well, but you aren't quite actively sick either. You have no energy, and you're sort of Blah! I have all the symptoms of an allergy, and my allergy medicine makes me sleepy, but I feel better when taking it, but then I have no more ambition than to check my stats,and go back to bed. This morning, I woke up thinking perhaps I should stop taking the allergy stuff, but once I missed a dose, my throat got so sore, you would think I had been swallowing razor blades, and my glands swelled up. I'd go see the doctor, but I don't feel good enough to leave the house.I hurt all over, but anything I take for that, just makes me sleepier. So, says I, the best thing to do, is cuddle down into my nice warm bed, with my library books,and my ice water, and sleep when the mood strikes me, sup on tea and soup and toast, and keep taking my meds, and one way or the other, I shall recover. I've gotten a lot of reading done. I've finished " Chocolate is a vegetable" and OH! I really recommend this book. It is gooood! It is so good, that I wish I hadn't finished it yet, so I could savor it longer.Hm. Maybe, I'll peruse the other two...or perhaps I'll go slinking back and read some of those stories again....or both. At any rate, it is pill time again, and soon I shall have to nap.

Whatever you do, stay away from the creeping crud! Don't let people who are sniffling and coughing come near you! TTFN!

Our local NBC affiliate, that bills itself as "The station who cares, for you!" made huge deal out of the fund raising for Katrina victims, during that tumultuous time in the aftermath of the storm, and raised thousands of dollars in just two days, with all the local t.v. reporters standing outside on the drive way of the station, collecting donations from us, from checks to change in piggy banks, everybody came out to show their support. Along with all the regular follow-up stories since, it has been noted to a large extent, that many from New Orleans have relocated here in the Quad Cities, some with family, some just shipped in, looking for anyplace to put down roots and go on with their lives. Now, today, at noon and again at 5 p.m., this same station has run a story of a man who was found at the John Lewis coffee shop, a local homeless shelter, who feeds people in need and gives them a place to stay warm and sleep. He was lined up for a meal, and told his story.A nice enough looking man, well educated, who lost it all in the Hurricane, and moved here. He said he had been living the American dream, but now it is all gone. He rents a room by the week, and has been holding down two jobs just to make enough to get back on his feet, but things aren't going well. He may be out on the street at the end of this week because he can't pay the rent just on that one room.What bothers me is, Why hasn't the station that cares for you started a fund drive for this one man? He has a name, a face we can put on the need, and obviously, the need is pressing, and very small.This does not make sense to me! Why did they go all out for nameless, faceless hundreds, or thousands, and now are seemingly not even lifting a finger for this poor guy? It's enough to make me want to chew nails! I'd give him my twenty bucks,and I am sure that others would too, yet, there is no heartwrenching appeal for this man! Why? I just want to know why! It's no skin off their noses if they say, if you would like to donate to so and so's cause, drop it off here at the station, or call this number!

This is the title of my latest "find" at the library,and naturally, my new favorite book. When I read the title to Sherry over the phone, she said," I didn't realize that!" I couldn't help it, I laughed all over my face. I said, well, it's not animal or mineral, so what did you think it was? She goes, it's candy, isn't it? No, chocolate is made from a cocoa bean, which grows on a bush or tree. It truly is a vegetable! In fact, until you add sugar, it is bitter...and it is also good for you, because of the natural fiber,among other things.I could go on, but why spoil it for you? Get the book and read it, you'll love it!